Health Science Reviews

by Anna Jellema-Butler

I entered this Honours program expecting to walk away with the field-specific knowledge and technical skills required to become an excellent scientist. However, as I have come to realize over the past six months, the primary outcome of our Honours year has little to do with a degree in science. The real takeaway will be immeasurable personal growth that can be applied to any career field, relationship, or goal.

Among the skills we have developed are time management, data analysis, problem solving, literature searching and review, project planning and development, and – perhaps reluctantly – public speaking. Our analytical minds were ceaselessly engaged as we were pushed to think and write critically. For the first time in our academic careers, we took personal responsibility over our work and found independence in the laboratory. We built relationships with fellow students and supervisors that will persist beyond the boundaries of campus. Most importantly, we practiced perseverance and positivity in the face of many, many mistakes and failures.

Undoubtedly, a portion of our class will go on to studies and careers unrelated to medical science. Still, we will have been well-prepared by this Honours year. Because the true challenge it posed was not in completing the lecture content or solving the scientific questions posed in our theses. Rather, it was a challenge of personal character, and one which precipitated immense personal and skill-based growth. For this reason, I am confident that my peers and I have been well-equipped for our future pursuits, wherever they may lie!